The hog industry group called Ontario Pork has stopped funding GM pig research at the University of Guelph. The university is now closing down its active research and ending its breeding program of the GM pig called “Enviropig.” The pig was engineered with genetic material from a mouse to reduce phosphorous in its feces and could have become the first GM food animal approved in the world. For background and more information about the Enviropig visit www.cban.ca/enviropig

CBAN (the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network) works hand in hand with farmer, environmental, community and social justice organizations and with the concerned public to research and monitor, educate and mobilize, and create strategic opportunities for your action.

We also work behind the scenes. CBAN’s direct interventions with decision-makers at the university and in the farming community supported your actions to lead to today’s shutdown of the GM pig. In the last few months a small amount of extra funding allowed us to hire additional part-time staff to help us focus on our recent actions. Our focus will now be to stop GM Atlantic salmon and GM alfalfa. We are working to stop the corporate control of our food and environment. Just a little extra funding helped to stop GM pigs – with more help, we can do so much more together. Donate today at www.cban.ca/donate

Please still send us your signed petitions to the University of Guelph. Find more action at www.cban.ca/Take-Action

April: Here’s a post that may elicit a fair amount of “comments”. I warn you, this is loooooong…. It goes over, in detail, the “who’s who” in this scandal, and speaks of corporate control issues (we all know this by now). It also suggests that Monsanto may be bringing the Terminator Technology out of the closet, after paying almost $2Billion (if you add up the interest since 07) for the technology. Regardless of a world-wide moratorium in place, Monsanto is not letting Terminator go, and will surely try to recoup that money somehow, somewhere. And what better way to start than with hemp. But what interested me was the relationship to Guelph University: “Multi-national companies like Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayor Crop Science, and Semex have set up in Guelph because of the ability to closely interact with research and the ease of access to human, capital, and government resources, as well as the ability to attract investment.” Enjoy…

Lucy Sharratt: Please note there have already been 2 food contamination cases in Canada with experimental GM pigs : In 2002 experimental Enviropig piglets at the University of Guelph were accidentally sent to a
rendering plant and turned into animal feed instead of being destroyed
as biological waste. The GM pigs were not approved for animal feed but
contaminated 675 tonnes of poultry feed that was sold to egg farmers,
turkey farmers and broiler chicken producers. In 2004, experimental
genetically engineered pigs from the Quebec firm TGN Biotech were
accidentally turned into chicken feed instead of being incinerated.
The pigs were engineered to produce a pharmaceutical compound, (the
company no longer exists). You can write to the Minister of Health
instantly from http://www.cban.ca/enviropigaction

OTTAWA: The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture on Tuesday said he doesn’t
know whether cloned cows or their offspring have made it into the
North American food supply.

But Tom Vilsack, in Ottawa to talk trade with food exporters and
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, emphasized that if they have, the
animals are safe to eat.

“I can’t say today that I can answer your question in an affirmative
or negative way. I don’t know. What I do know is that we know all the
research, all of the review of this is suggested that this is safe,”
Vilsack told reporters, pointing to an assessment of the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration.

Update on Bill C-474: Hearings to continue in the Fall, New action
option coming later this week.

June 14, 2010

The House of Commons Agriculture Committee hearings on Bill C-474 got
off to a shaky start as the first hearing on June 2nd was interrupted
by votes in the House and there was only one other hearing, on June
7th. Hearings may now be suspended until the Fall, to be followed by a
final vote (possibly in October).

On June 2, Bill sponsor NDP Agriculture Critic Alex Atamanenko
testified as well as industry associations. On June 7, alfalfa
producers testified in strong support of Bill C-474. The transcript
from June 7 is not yet available.

I am on the bandwagon with the Enviropig. It stinks. Literally. So I asked Maple Leaf Foods, one of Canada’s largest hog producers, what their position was on Enviropig, and this was their answer:

May 21, 2010

Case #622843

Dear Ms. Reeves,

Thank you for your recent inquiry.

We are monitoring the situation and no decision has been made at this time. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us at our toll-free number of 1-800-268-3708.

Sincerely,

Jackie VerdezConsumer Response Representative

– – –

Wow, how amazing, to get a response from a customer rep! I feel honored, Maple Leaf.

So, I am going to continue with my quest for information, and I am urging you to follow along. Below are emails and names of those in Maple Leaf who may actually answer us from Canada with something intelligent to say.

Please contact these nice folks with your question: “What is Maple Leaf’s response to the Enviropig? Will Maple Leaf allow the Enviropig into our food chain?”